In a rare public apology, the militant leader of al-Qaidas branch in Yemen has said that one of his fighters disobeyed orders and attacked a hospital attached to the Defense Ministry during a December assault that killed 52 people.

Qassim al-Rimi, commander of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, said in a video posted on militant websites that the attackers were warned in advance not to enter the hospital within the complex, nor a place for prayer there. But he said one fighter did.

Now we acknowledge our mistake and guilt, al-Rimi said in a video released late Saturday by al-Qaidas media arm al-Mallahem. We offer our apology and condolences to the victims families. We accept full responsibility for what happened in the hospital and will pay blood money for the victims families.

The apology seemed prompted by Yemen state television earlier broadcasting a video showing a gunman attacking doctors and other hospital staff. Several al-Qaida jihadis tried to dismiss the video as fake on militant websites, but the outcry apparently embarrassed the al-Qaida branch to the point of issuing an unusual expression of regret from the group.

We rid ourselves of what our brother did, al-Rimi said. We did not order him to do so and we are not pleased with what he did.

However, al-Rimi said despite the group making a mistake, we are continuing with our jihad.

The authenticity of the English-subtitled video could not be absolutely confirmed, though it was consistent with other Associated Press reporting and came from al-Qaidas media arm.

That fighter and eight other militants were killed in the Dec. 5 suicide bombing and gunmen attack on the ministry complex in Sanaa, Yemens capital. Seven foreigners from Germany, India, the Philippines and Vietnam were among the dead  all who were providing aid at the hospital.

Al-Rimi repeated al-Qaidas earlier claim that the Defense Ministry was attacked because it housed drone control rooms and American experts. He also said that security headquarters used by Americans in their war are legitimate targets.

He also warned that fighters also will attack any other military posts and camps that cooperate with the American drones by spying, planting chips, providing information or offering intelligence advice.

We have a long list of these places, al-Rimi said.

U.S. drone strikes in Yemen have inflicted heavy losses on al-Qaida militants and are part of a joint U.S.-Yemeni campaign against a group which Washington has called the most dangerous branch of the global terrorist network.

But a Dec. 12 drone attack that mistook a wedding party convoy for an al-Qaida convoy, killing 15 people, has fueled anger against the United States and the government in Sanaa among a Yemeni public already opposed to the strikes. Yemens parliament later urged the government to end the use of Yemens airspace by U.S. drones.